1. Field
The present disclosure relates to embodiments of systems and methods for plasma compression.
2. Description of Related Art
Some systems for compressing plasma to high temperatures and densities typically are large, expensive, and are limited in repetition rate and operational lifetime. The addition of a magnetic field within the plasma is a promising method for improving the effectiveness of any given heating scheme due to decreased particle and energy loss rates from the plasma volume.
Methods of compressing a plasma include the following six schemes.
(1) Direct compression of a plasma using an external magnetic field that increases with time.
(2) Compression by an ablative rocket effect of an outer surface of an implosion capsule, with the compression driven by intense electromagnetic radiation or high energy particle beams (such as certain Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF) devices). See, for example, R. W. Moir et al., “HYLIFE-II: An approach to a long-lived, first-wall component for inertial fusion power plants,” Report Numbers UCRL-JC--117115; CONF-940933-46, Lawrence Livermore National Lab, August 1994, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
(3) Compression by electromagnetic implosion of a conductive liner, typically metal, driven by large pulsed electric currents flowing in the implosion liner.
(4) Compression by spherical or cylindrical focusing of a large amplitude acoustic pulse in a conducting medium. See, for example, the systems and methods disclosed in U.S. Patent Application Publication Nos. 2006/0198483 and 2006/0198486, each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. In some implementations, the compression of a conductive medium can be performed using an external pressurized gas. See, for example, the LINUS system described in R. L. Miller and R. A. Krakowski, “Assessment of the slowly-imploding liner (LINUS) fusion reactor concept”, Rept. No. LA-UR-80-3071, Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory, Los Alamos, N. Mex. 1980, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
(5) Passive compression by injecting a moving plasma into a static but conically converging void within a conductive medium, such that the plasma kinetic energy drives compression determined by wall boundary constraints. See, for example, C. W. Hartman et al., “A Compact Torus Fusion Reactor Utilizing a Continuously Generated String of CT's. The CT String Reactor”, CTSR Journal of Fusion Energy, vol. 27, pp. 44-48 (2008); and “Acceleration of Spheromak Toruses: Experimental results and fusion applications,” UCRL-102074, in Proceedings of 11th US/Japan workshop on field-reversed configurations and compact toroids; 7-9 Nov. 1989; Los Alamos, N. Mex., each of which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.
(6) Compression of a plasma driven by the impact of high kinetic energy macroscopic projectiles, for example, by a pair of colliding projectiles, or by a single projectile impacting a stationary target medium. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,328,070, which is hereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety. See, also, the above-incorporated paper by C. W. Hartmann et al., “Acceleration of Spheromak Toruses: Experimental results and fusion applications.”